The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous structures in the world.
It was named after Alexandre Eiffel whose team of engineers designed it. It
cost £260,000 to build in 1889 with most of the money being provided by
Eiffel himself and the French state. The Eiffel Tower rises to a height of
985 feet and for over forty years it was the highest structure in the world.
The top may be reached by using lifts and stairs with the first platform
being 189 feet, the second being 380 feet and the third at 906 feet above
the ground. The structure is largely composed of triangulated sections and
this allowed the engineers to build the tower so high.

It was originally looked upon as a temporary structure,
built for the 1889 Worlds Fair. The Worlds Fair coincided with the centenary
of the French Revolution.

For forty years it was the tallest man-made structure in
the world.

The Eiffel Tower was the entrance arch to the Worlds Fair
and it was one of a number of designs entered as part of a competition.
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel's company won the competition and so the the Tower
became known as the Eiffel Tower. However, it was Morris Koechlin, an
employee of Eiffel that designed the thousand foot structure.

Alexandre Eiffel

Morris Koechlin

Koechlin was a junior employees of the Eiffel
Construction Business which specialised in the designing and building of
bridges and viaducts al over the world. one of his first jobs was to design
the framework for the Statues of Liberty.

His first design for the tower was rejected by Alexandre
Gustave Eiffel as it was very plain and lacked 'class' and it was only after
adding more graceful, ornate features that Eiffel decided to enter it for
the competition. Eiffel also stated that he would finance the project to 80%
of the cost of construction.

The original idea was for the tower to be dismantled
after a twenty year period. However, it was so well built and engineered
that it was decided to leave it in position. The various parts (of which
there were thousands) were so well engineered that not even one had to be
returned to workshops for alteration.

After the first year of opening so much money had be
raised from people visiting the tower that the cost of construction was
covered and Eiffel became rich.

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel conducted experiments on the
tower such as using it as a giant pendulum, a pressure gauge, an instrument
for measuring air resistance and atmospheric pressure. In 1898 it was
discovered that the tower could also be used a magnificent radio tower.
Consequently the Eiffel Tower was saved.

QUESTIONS

What was the event that the Eiffel Tower was
built for ?

How many years was the Eiffel Tower the highest
in the world ?

What was the name of the engineer in charge of
the project ?

What was the background of the engineer who
came up with the first design ?

How was the original design improved before it was entered into the
competition ?

Why did the tower last longer than twenty years
?

Was the Tower popular with the public ?

Why was the tower’s future secured ?

Can you name any other large
structures ? If so write some facts and try to draw a diagram of each.